Account-keeping device



(No Model.)

W; W. MAXWELL.

ACCOUNT KEEPING DEVICE.

No. 487,953. Patented Dec. 13,1892.

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Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM w. MAXWELL, or OHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS.

ACCOUNT-KEEPING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,953,dated- December 13, 1892.

Application filed March 3, 1892.

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. MAXWELL, of Champaign, in the county of Ohampaign and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Account-Keeping Device, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in account-keeping devices; and the object of my invention is to produce a device which is adapted for the use of large mercantile concerns and especially for the use of banks, and

' which will in a great measure take the place of the journal, ledger, and balance-books, enabling the bookkeeper to make his entries easily and quickly, and also to prove the accuracy of his work by obtaining the aggregate debits, credits, and balances each day.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of the device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail cross-section of one of the flies, the account-sheet being shown in broken lines thereon; and Fig. 4is a broken detail sectional view of a modified form of the apparatus.

The device is provided with an open frame 10, the side pieces of which are slotted vertically, as shown at 11, the slots extending from the upper edges of the side pieces down and nearly across them, and these slots are adapted to receive the trunnions 13 of the flies 12, the trunnions resting loosely in the slots and having end collars 14, which prevent their accidental displacement. The flies 12 may be made of any light material, and they are arranged so as to overlap, as shown in Fig. 2, and the trunnions on which they are pivoted are arranged near theirlower corners, so that either or all of the flies may be tipped up when necessary. Each fly hasa reduced, but not necessarily reduced, central portion, upon which is carried the account-sheet 15, which is preferably in the form of an endless belt,

Serial No. 423,627. (No model.)

out departing from the principle of the invention.

The sheets 15 are ruled after the manner of the most recent bank-ledgers-that is, if the device is to be used by a bank. Otherwise the sheets may be ruled to correspond with the business for which they are to be used. As shown in the drawings, they are provided with spaces 16 and 16 for. the dates, spaces 17 and 1'7 for the checks in detail, 18 and 18 for the total checks, 19 and 19 for the deposits, and 20 and 20 for the balances. The sheets are adapted to be moved when necessary, so that the proper entries may be made upon them, and as they overlap and as the top of one sheet extends nearly to the top of another the entries may be made so that but one line on each sheet will appear at a time, except on the top sheet, which will be left blank. By adding the columns of figures exposed the aggregate checks, deposits, and balances are ascertained each day, as in the present style journal and balance-book.

The flies 12 are provided near their free ends with parallel rollers 21, which extend longitudinally through them, one roller being placed beneath a sheet 15 and the other outside of the sheet, so as to press upon it, and one of the pair of rollers has at one'end a milled wheel-22, by which it may be turned, but both may have the milled wheel and both rollers of each fly are geared together by the cogs 23, as shown in Fig. 1; but they will work without the cogs, and when a milled wheel is turned to turn a roller the adjacent roller will be also turned and the sheet '15 will be fed forward between the rollers. I do not confine myself to this means of moving the sheets, however, as it is obvious that they may be moved in other ways with the same effect.

Each fly 12 is provided near its free edge -with a short arm 23*, which projects inward and parallel with the rollers 21, and on this arm may be written the name of the person whose account is kept on the sheet carried by the fly to which the arm is attached. This arrangement enables the accounts to be quickly located, and as the flies are all removable they may be easily arranged in alphabetical order. The keeping of the accounts is also facilitated by having the flies removable, as any one of them maybe taken out when necessary to compare it with a pass-book or for any other purpose.

I will not describe in detail the manner of keeping the accounts, as it is obvious that the accounts will be kept in different Ways for different businesses, and it will be understood that the sheets may be ruled in any desired manner to correspond with the particular business in which they are used.

It will be seen that the greater portion of the accounts may be kept out of sight, as the entire account on a sheet,with the exception of one line thereon, Will be covered by the adjacent fly, which overlaps it. When the bookkeeper desires to examine the entire account, it may be easily done by raising the flies above it. The sums in the several columns or spaces of the several sheets, with the exception of the columns 16 16 and 17 17 may be conveniently added. The columns or spaces 16 16 and 17 17 are covered by the arms 28*; but as these columns contain only the dates and checks in detail there is no need to add them.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of the apparatus in which the account-sheets 15*, ruledas desired, are wound on rollers or spools 24 and extend from them to spools 25 above, the spools being journaled in a suitable supporting-frame. Flat bearing-plates 26, with depending inwardly-curved edge flanges 27 to prevent the sheets from being injured, are arranged in the paths of the sheets and above the upper rollers or spools 25. These plates serve as tables, on which a person may Write, and they also cause the sheets. to be conveniently displayed.

winding up the rollers 25 the sheets 15 are wound thereon, and they may thus be advanced as fast as is necessary.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an account-keeping device, a pivoted swinging fly and an account-sheet mounted on the fly and movable across the face thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a support having slots, of a removable swinging fly having pivots entering said slots and an account-sheet movable across the face of the fly, substan-.

tially as set forth.

3. An account-keeping device comprising a series of flies and an account-sheet for each fly and movable across the face thereof, the said flies overlapping and normallyexposing a narrow transverse portion. of every accountsheet, substantially as set forth.

4.. An account-keeping device comprising a plurality of movable flies mounted ina suitable frame, each fly having an index-arm, and

account-sheetsv made to travel over the flies, 

